A WORLD famous tourist attraction reliving the Viking age yesterday unveiled plans to launch itself into the 21st Century.

The Jorvik Viking Centre revealed details of a £4.8m revamp that will eventually see the whole of the current ride and displays replaced with a new exhibition depicting a cityscape from later in the Viking age.

The York attraction recently welcomed its 12 millionth visitor and bosses are confident the new-look centre, codenamed JVC2, will continue to be a major success. New features will include time capsules and enhanced environmental conditions, with the centre due to re-open at Easter.

Director of attractions for York Archaeological Trust, Richard Kemp, said: "We can now use the latest ride technology to take people not only around the dwellings, but down the banks of the River Foss, and actually fly up through a Viking house, before reaching the bustling street of Coppergate, the heart of trade in the Viking city."